St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-17
OUR POSTAL SYSTEM.
SENDING LETTERS AT ONE TINEAN
EXPENSIVE BUSINESS.
How Correspondence Was Conducted in
the Early Days of the Country-C Charges
Made According to Distance Carried
Various Reductions-The First Stamps.
fCOpYriQhted, 1887.

receptacle in cOtfee-house or public tavern
where letters from abroad were deposited
and taken by those to whom they were ad
dressed, or carried to them by their neigh
bors. In time there was a sort of posta
service established between the several colo
MES. In 1872 there was al post to go monthly
from New York to Boston" Good old John
Haywood, who in 1880 became the worthy
postmaster at Boston, and the first postmas
ter IN America. employed chance convey
ance, with by the kindness Of some trav.
eler, as his postal service.
One of the earliest acts of the Continental
Congress was the establishment of several
postotfices and post route from Falmouth
in Maine, to Savannah, in Georgia. In 1871
Benjamin Franklin was appointed postmas-
ter at Philadelphia At that time he was q
young man, and his connection with the
postal service of the government continued
for over forty years. For many years prior
to 1776 the postage was paid in currency,
and was increased as the value of the cur
rency deprecated until it became impossi-
bic to keep up with the decreasing value,
when the rate was reduced and made pay.
able in specie.
The PostOttiCe Department Of the United
/ States government was organized in 1889, OIL
a model of the like department in the Colo
NAL government. The first schedule of rates,
which was established by the law that or
ganized the postotfiCe, was as follows: For
every letter consisting of one piece of paper
tor any distance not exceeding 10 miles. :
cents; for any distance not exceeding l5t
miles, 12t cents; not exceeding 300 miles,
Il cents; not exceeding 800 miles, - cents :;
any distance over 800 miles % cents.
Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first
Postmaster General, and his almost lifelong
experience III the postal service was of great
benefit to the country. The first postage act
was passed in 1872, the rates of postage being
fixed by the act as follows: For 80 miles and
under, 6 cents; over 80 miles and not ex-
ceeding 60 miles, cents; between 60 and
100 miles, 10 cents; between 100 and 15C
miles, II cents; between $50 and 200 miles
Is cents; between 300 and 80 miles, Il
cents; between 80 and $50 miles, % cents ;
between $50 and 4O miles, % cents; over
45O miles, 25 cents. These high and various
rates amounted almost to prohibition
of correspondence, especially among the
and now there are more in q single State
than there were in the entire country in $500
In 1893 the rates were changed. The lowest
rate was increased to s cents and the low
est distance to 40 miles. In 1916 the min
lmum rate was again reduced to cents,
and the distance to 30 miles. only three rates
being established. Eighteen cents carried
letters 400 miles, and for longer distances 25
cents was charged. These rates were estab-
ished after strong demand by the people
for reduction. The unit of charge was one
sheet or piece of paper. There were no en-
velopes at that time. A letter was 50 written
on piece of paper that one side of one part
of it was left blank When folded, this blank
side became the back ofthe letter, on which the
address was written. To write, fold seal and
address letter properly in what looks to us
as the primitive days of correspondence re-
qui1ed more ingenuity than it does now for
one to pack summers wardrobe for a trip
into the country. The charge for postage
being on the single piece of paper without
reference to its weight, care was taken by
voluminous letter writers-and more people
wrote long letters then than now-to use
o. lol &c SI1CCl DIS lIlcf CpIif SllItuLiN SOuIu
The use of the mail for sending commercial
paper was very expensive, because each
check, draft or bill, upon separate piece of
paper, was charged an extra postage up to
three of them. The regulation was that let
ter of two pieces of paper was charged double
rates, one of three pieces triple rates, and one
of four pieces quadruple rates, provided the
whole weighed an ounce. If the whole
weighed less than an ounce only three rates
were charged. A letter containing four or
more pieces of paper and weighing an ounce
or more was charged at single rates for every
quarter ounce. By this rate letter contain
ing three pieces of paper-that is, an adver-
tisement and two checks-sent over 400 miles
would cost IS cents; sent 80 miles or under IS
cents. Such letter sent from New York to
Albany cost 81 cents. If il was composed of
the advertisement and three checks the cost
to Albany was 80 cents. Any article not
newspaper, magazine or pamphlet sent in
the mail was charged at letter-rates.
These high rates continued until 1915.
when the first material reduction in postage
took place. In 1910 the number of post
offices in the United States had increased to
nearly Ia 900. On the 18th of March in that
year, John NJ Niles. of Hartford, Conn,
succeeded Amos Kendall as Postmaster Gen
eral, and signalzed his administration by
many reforms. Among other innovations
he suggested the use Of a postage stamp.
The suggestion was received with the great
est ridicule, and Mr.. Niles soon after resigned
his office and retired to private life. At this
time the mails were carried on horseback
and it occupied three days to send letter
from New York to Boston.
Prior to 1912 no postage stamps had ap
peared in America. Early in that year John
Lorimer, postmaster in New York city, is
sued provisional stamp for his own use.
The stamp was unperforated, rectangular in
shape, buff in color and of the value of
three cents. A full-faced portrait of Wash |
ington appeared in bordered oval. A year
later the stamp was printed in blue ink. The
year 1916 saw a revolution in the service. |
On the night of March g. 1916, the last day |
of Tylers administration, the following |
law was passed by Congress:
'For every single letter in manuscript, or
paper of any kind, by and upon which in
formation shall be asked for or commune |
Gated in writing, or by marks and signs, con-
veyed in the mail for any distance under 300 |
miles + cents. for any distance over 400 |